MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL
4-24-15
Greetings Countryside Families!
Everyone is very excited for our Countryside Carnival tonight! The festivities start at 6:00 and wrap up by 8:30. I hope to see everyone here!
Garden Update - Seedling Sale CancelledL
- Spring plans for our fabulous garden are proceeding, and soon we will have new seeds being planted and students tending to the needs of the new plantings.
- As the planting time approaches, all Countryside students will be involved with the garden in one way or another.
- Sadly, due to some high winds recently, our seedlings took a beating, so we will no longer be able to do the Seedling Sale as originally planned. We will give it another try next spring!
Summer Construction Update
We have a number of construction projects that are scheduled for Countryside this summer. The projects inside the building have to do with the heating/cooling/air handling systems. Much of our big work will begin full-force on June 1. We have some preliminary work that is being done behind the scenes now, but students and staff do not have access to those things being done in the mechanical areas of the building. So that the summer work can be done more efficiently most classrooms will be "packed up" and some will even be totally cleared, depending on the extent of the work in each area. In addition to the mechanical work being done in the building, sidewalks and streets near and around our building will be installed or upgraded. As we get closer to the end of May I will let you know how this street work may impact everyone's ability to access the building. Building updates are always nice, but a little hectic! I will keep you posted as we know more about logistics, including some assistance we may need from parent volunteers with packing up classroom spaces in preparation for the summer work.
Update your Health and Contact Information Online!
We are pleased to announce that starting mid-May, Edina will implement a new Health and Contact wizard in SchoolView, providing parents with one place to easily update Health and Contact information online, such as:
- Telephone numbers
- Emergency Contacts
- Primary care providers
- Any health concerns
- Review Immunizations
- When live, parents logging onto SchoolView will be able to access this wizard as a set of screens in SchoolView. By entering the information within SchoolView, schools will securely store that information and be able to limit its access to staff that have permission to access it. By updating this information via SchoolView, in subsequent years, parents will only be asked to update the information that has been entered.
- The need for annual medication and treatment consent and signatures is not available on this system. Please work with your health office staff and provider for annual orders and signatures.
- We are confident that parents will appreciate the ease and convenience of entering this information via the SchoolView parent portal, however we know that not everyone will choose to use this system for sharing this information, so we will continue to have paper documents available.
- To learn more about this new data wizard, we have created this website with additional information and instructions on using the wizard.
Referendum Update - Remember to Vote Tuesday, May 5!
What will new learning spaces look like? The Next Generation Facilities Plan was developed in partnership with student, staff and community input over the last year. Current proposals, which were calculated based on enrollment, square feet and projected construction costs, are only conceptual but focus on creating a variety of learning spaces to support direct instruction, individual, small and large group learning. If voters approve the referendum, the district will then launch the design phase in which teachers and will meet with architects and engineers about how to develop and design spaces that best meet learning program needs. Continued engagement of students and families will also be available. As part of the district's Secondary and BG5 Strategic Studies, examples of what these spaces could look like have been collected and are available on the Next Generation Spaces page of the district's referendum website.
- Looking for a referendum publication, presentation or video? All referendum communications are archived on the district website here.
Absentee Ballots available now
No-excuses absentee voting for the 2015 Bond Referendum is available now. To vote absentee, voters must first submit an application, after which they will receive a ballot. Edina Public School residents can vote absentee in the following ways:
- U.S. MAIL - Download an application and submit it to the contact information on the form. You will receive your ballot by mail and can then submit your ballot by mail or in person at the City of Edina administrative offices.
- IN PERSON - Starting Friday, March 20, you may go in person to the City of Edina administration office (4801 W. 50th St, Edina) to fill out and submit an absentee ballot application. You will receive your ballot immediately and can cast your vote at that time.
2nd Annual Student Wellness Challenge - April 25th
If you like having fun, trying new food and challenging yourself, come to the Student Wellness Challenge on Saturday morning, April 25th. From 9am to 11:30am, we will have Tai Chi, Johnny from Pros of the Rope, Food Taste Testing, Obstacle Courses, and door prizes. We have a Tennis Pro, a personal trainer, yoga and a master chef. For your parents or guardians, they can listen to speakers while you have fun at the challenge so there is something for everyone. Bring the whole family. See the posters around school for the Student Wellness Challenge details. If you sign up online through community ed, you will increase your chances of winning a door prize. Student Wellness Challenge, Sat. April 25th for students in grades 5-9 but all are welcome. And it is FREE!
PTO Executive Board Positions for 2015-16
The Countryside PTO is taking nominations for the 2015-2016 PTO Executive Board for the positions of President-Elect, VP-Elect, Treasurer-Elect and Secretary-Elect. These positions are 2 year positions and are integral to the planning of PTO events. If you are interested, have questions, or know anyone who you would like to nominate for these positions, please contact Jennifer Musolf at [email protected]
See you at the Carnival!
Karen Bergman, Principal
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